PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP DAY
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
8:00 am Registration & Light Breakfast
WORKSHOP A – 9:00am
Forget Fibroblasts? Examining Fibrosis as a Process & the Cell Types Beyond Fibroblasts that Play a Role in Driving Fibrosis
- David Lagares Chief Executive Officer & Founder, Zenon Biotech
- Marc Hertz President & Chief Executive Officer, GRI Bio
Synopsis
This interactive workshop provides a comprehensive understanding of fibrosis as a multifaceted process, highlighting the role of various cell types beyond fibroblasts including granulocytes, NK cells, neutrophils and beyond. By examining the contributions of different cellular players and their interactions, explore novel therapeutic targets and strategies to address fibrosis across different indications.
Delve into:
- Understanding the dual role of macrophages in both promoting and resolving fibrosis, and the implications for therapeutic development
- Comparing the cross talk between immune cells, epithelial cells, and different fibroblast cell populations across fibrosis indications to investigate the drivers of fibrosis for targeting
- Uncover the cross talk between the immune system and fibrosis pathways, to uncover the significance it has in both the initiation and progression of fibrotic diseases
- Exploring studies on wider immune cell interactions with fibrotic cells, to better understand anti-inflammatory therapies
12:00 pm Lunch Break
WORKSHOP B – 1:00pm
Examining Cross Disease Insights into Advanced Biomarker Strategies for Antifibrotic Drug Development
- Jijun Dong Chief Scientific Officer, Salubris
- Jen-Chieh Chuang Director, Translational Biomarker Lead, Liver Diseases, Takeda
Synopsis
This interactive workshop offers exclusive insights from experts across various fields including renal, hepatic, cardiac, pulmonary, scleroderma, gastrointestinal and cross[1]fibrosis diseases. Addressing the most critical biomarker challenges facing antifibrotic drug developers from ensuring biomarkers are specific, sensitive, and validated across different patient populations and disease stages to non-invasive markers of progression and therapeutic efficacy. Capitalize on your opportunity to ask your pressing questions to seasoned experts.
Explore:
- Innovative methodologies for identifying and validating biomarkers that reflect disease subtypes, predict disease progression, and stratify patient populations
- Discuss the integration of multi-omics data, imaging modalities, and digital health technologies to develop robust diagnostic tools for early detection and monitoring of treatment response
- Investigate proteins and markers released by fibroblasts and neighbouring cells as surrogate markers to overcome the challenges posed by the lack of circulating fibroblasts
- Explore the contributions of a cross-fibrosis consortia in providing reliable biomarkers for diverse fibrotic diseases
3:30 pm Afternoon Break
WORKSHOP C – 4:00pm
Deep Diving into Fibrosis Biology to Uncover Mechanism of Fibrosis Present Across Multiple Disease Indications to Uncover Cross Organ Therapeutics
- Ole Joergen Kaasboell Chief Scientific Officer, Tribune Therapeutics
- Seulki Lee Founder and CEO, D&D Pharmatech
- Katie McCauley Head of Fibrosis Research, Novartis
- Kevin Hart Associate Research Fellow, Scientific Director, Fibrosis Exploratory Biology and Drug Discovery Group, Pfizer
Synopsis
In this interactive workshop, delve into the molecular mechanisms driving fibrosis to identify common threads across various organs. From fundamental processes of scar formation to advanced omics technologies, this session aims to uncover shared pathways and develop cross-organ therapeutic strategies.
With coverage of:
- Explore the latest spatial transcriptomics, spatial proteomics, and single-cell sequencing technologies to define cell types and mechanisms driving fibrotic remodelling
- Identify and analyse common signalling pathways and pathogenic cells found across multiple fibrotic indications
- Examine the differential weighting of pathogenic pathways to determine their importance and extent in various fibrotic diseases
- Assess shared pathways among different fibrotic diseases to create more effective cross-organ therapeutic approaches